Alex C. Telander's Blog, page 44

Book Report: NYT Summer Reading List, Amazon Fights Dirty, Renting Books & More!

Amazon Doing What it Does Best 
Amazon continues to flex its muscles against Hachette for not getting what it wants and show that it is downright evil.

Amazon’s Most Well-Read Cities 
Amazon has posted its top list of most well-read US cities by ranking book sales by city.

Your Favorite Book Sucks 
Book Riot gives you the scoop on how to tell a loved one their favorite book sucks.

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“Let the Old Dreams Die” by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Thomas Dunne Books, 2013)

If you’ve read any books from the bestselling Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist, such as Handling the Undead, Little Star, Harbor, or his big international hit Let the Right One In, you know he’s got a knack for telling some cold, dark, scary stories. In Let the Old Dreams Die he presents international readers with his first short story collection, showing his breadth not just as a horror writer, but also as a skilled storyteller.

“The Border” is a story about illegal smuggling across an important line of demarcation, but this particular border agent has a talent for spotting and knowing when someone is smuggling, except in this case it turns out to have more to do with her than she knows. “Eternal/Love” is about what happens when your loved one is brought back from the dead, still human, but irrevocably changed. The book also features some important sequel stories, in “Final Processing” to his book Handling the Undead, and “Let the Old Dreams Die” to Let the Right One In.

The collection is a lot of scary fun, working as a good introduction for readers wanting to try Lindqvist for the first time. But it also satisfies cravings for fans: showing his full spectrum as a writer, and providing some much needed new material in various settings, revealing his skill at telling a story that will leave you unable to sleep the night you finish it.

Originally written on April 16, 2014 ©Alex C. Telander.

To purchase a copy of Let the Old Dreams Die from Bookshop Santa Cruz, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.

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GUEST POST: “Oh, Those Wild and Crazy Puritans!” by Tom Doyle

Those Puritans never seem to catch a break.

 My debut novel from Tor, American Craftsmen, is a thoroughly modern-day fantasy of military intrigue. My backstory, however, starts with the founding of the English colonies in North America and focuses on Puritan New England.

The Puritans have always had a public relations problem. Yes, they grew in numbers to the point that they could win the English Civil War, but their stance on the arts made them many enemies among more memorable voices. Even the mild Shakespeare didn’t like them (see Malvolio in Twelfth Night).

In America, Thomas Morton, a real-life figure and fictional ancestor of my protagonist Dale Morton, ran a one-man campaign against what he considered the fanatical Puritan settlements, and was arrested and expelled three times for his trouble. Later, the peculiar tensions of Puritan communities would help to generate the notorious Salem witch hunt, over which my fictional present-day characters still hold grudges.

Still, most Americans prefer to look towards the upright Puritans as the national ancestors and ignore the claims of those opportunistic and sometimes cannibalistic rascals in Jamestown. As pointed out by writers such as Edmund S. Morgan and Sarah Vowell, the dilemmas that sprung from all that religious tension and paranoia led to some creative solutions in governance that eventually helped produce the United States.

Enter my modern-day Puritan character, Major Michael Endicott, the sometimes antagonist to the main character, Captain Dale Morton. Endicott is a fictional descendant of the real-life John Endicott of Salem, who was the Puritan’s Puritan. John Endicott was the one who led the attack on Thomas Morton’s settlement at Merry Mount. He also brandished his sword during the trial of Anne Hutchinson, a notorious heretic among the Puritans (and ancestor of another of my characters, Colonel Elizabeth Hutchinson). In America’s first declaration of independence, John’s sword sliced the cross of Saint George the Dragon Slayer from every flag that he saw.

Major Michael Endicott finds that he has to be more realistic than his Puritan forebears about many things. Michael can laugh at his ancestor John wanting veils for women. But Endicott continues to admire his ancestors for their faith, discipline, and freedom. He is above all loyal to his family.

In my earliest draft, Endicott started out as almost totally unsympathetic, which didn’t work. So he evolved into a quite different character: a person trying to maintain his integrity even as his trials and tribulations seem to mock him.

Endicott’s patience and integrity are particularly tried by his encounters with Dale Morton. The pagan and atheistic Mortons and the Puritan Endicotts have continued as enemies for hundreds of years. Endicott believes that at best Dale is untrustworthy due to his seeming instability, and at worst Dale has gone over to the evil practices of his Left-Hand Morton ancestors.

As Endicott pursues the fleeing Dale across the country, he begins to suspect that Dale may be telling the truth about corruption at the heart of Langley or the Pentagon. But if Dale is right, this also means that some terrible deception may have occurred in the Endicott family.

Despite the gravity of the situation and his normally stern demeanor, Endicott tries his best not to take himself too seriously. When things go wrong, even in ways that make him look slightly ridiculous, he faces adversity with a churchy sense of humor and as much patience as he can muster. Challenged by a great threat to the nation, Endicott is perhaps the character that has to grow and change the most, and in that regard his core principles are more help than hindrance.

As Sarah Vowell came to like the Puritan subjects of her book The Wordy Shipmates, I’ve come to like Michael Endicott’s character as well. I hope you find him and my other magical, fictional descendants of the real-life founding colonists, my American craftspeople, entertaining.

About Tom Doyle:

The Internet Review of Science Fiction has hailed TOM DOYLE’s writing as “beautiful & brilliant.” Locus Magazine has called his stories “fascinating,” “transgressive,” “witty,” “moving,” and “intelligent and creepy.” A graduate of the Clarion Writing Workshop, Doyle has won the WSFA Small Press Award and third prize in the Writers of the Future contest.

Book Report: Twittering From Beyond, George RR Martin Writes It Old School, Tolkien’s Beowulf & More

Remembering Mary Stewart  
The Guardian on the passing of the great Mary Stewart.

George R. R. Martin Writes in DOS
The bestselling author explains why he writes his popular series in DOS.

13 Feminist Bookstores
The last 13 feminist bookstores in Canada and the US.

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“Steelheart” by Brandon Sanderson (Delacorte, 2013)

It seems that whenever Brandon Sanderson puts his head down to write something, the resulting story is usually an incredible one that any reader will enjoy. The man is talented; it’s as simple as that. Sanderson had a second young adult novel come out in 2013, after the Rithmatist, and kicks off a new young adult series called The Reckoners with Steelheart. It’s your classic fantasy tale of superheroes, except all the superheroes in this book happen to be supervillains.

It all started with a strange comet and an even t that came to be known as the cataclysm where a certain number of the population gained superpowers and became known as Epics. David got to experience the supreme power of epics first hand when he was at a bank in Chicago, when the epic Steelheart murdered his father. Since then, ten years have passed and David, while living through hard times, has devoted every spare moment to learn what he can about the epics of the world.

He knows a couple of things: each epic possess his or her own unique power and with that power they have a key vulnerability. Some of these “weak points” he has discovered about the epics, others he is still learning. He also knows there is an underground rebel group looking to fight back against the epics one at a time. He’d love to join up with this rebel group, known as the Reckoners, but they’re very good at remaining hidden and undiscovered. But then again he’s also very good at finding things out that you’re not supposed to.

Sanderson takes a great concept of the superhero, makes up a bunch of them, then turns it on its head and makes them all evil. But whether he is writing fantasy or science fiction, the magic abilities of his characters always have limits in some way, just as the superheroes we know so well, like Superman or Spiderman, or the many others. Whether you’re a kid, or an adult who’s a kid at heart, you’ll love Steelheart.

Originally written on April 12, 2014 ©Alex C. Telander.

To purchase a copy of Steelheart from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.

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“Dangerous Women” by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois (Tor, 2013)

While George R. R. Martin may be taking his time with his next book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, he definitely has an ability for finding some great talented storytellers when working with the master editor and anthologist, Gardner Dozois. Dangerous Women is one of those books that you’re very thankful for being a giant tome, as you look forward to finishing the thrilling story you’re currently reading, so you can see how it ends, as well as discovering what the next story is going to be like.

A number of big fantasy name authors make the contents list in this collection, as well as a number of other mainstream authors you may not have read before. Each of them write about heroines or female villains or powerful stories with moving female characters, from the likes of Brandon Sanderson, Joe Abercrombie, Sherilynn Kenyon, Carrie Vaughan and S. M. Stirling, as well as a new novella from George R. R. Martin set within his fantasy world.  Not all the stories are fantasy or horror or science fiction, such as with Carrie Vaughan’s riveting story about female fighter pilots.

The beauty of a collection like this is that the reader has a chance to discover a number of new authors they never planned on reading, or maybe have wanted to try. Also, since the book is called Dangerous Women, it does respectfully feature more stories written by women authors, as it should. Ultimately, it’s a collection that features wall-to-wall female characters everywhere, which sadly cannot be said for most books published these days.

Originally written on April 16, 2014 ©Alex C. Telander.

To purchase a copy of Dangerous Women from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.

Book Report: Max Brooks Gives Advice, Amazon Buries The Hachette, B&N Goes To School & More!

10 Rad Female Authors to Read 
There are many authors out there who have written books, and many of them are women. Here are ten rad ones you might really want to try.

The First California Bookstore Day 
May 3rd was the first ever California Bookstore Day and it was a rousing success. Shelf Awareness has full coverage of the day.

Outlander 
Starz is adapting the bestselling Outlander romance series by Diana Gabaldon.

Max Brooks’ Writing Tips 
With Max Brooks releasing a new graphic novel, he has some recommended writing tips.

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“Sailor Twain or the Mermaid in the Hudson” by Mark Sigel (First Second, 2012)

With the catchy title and the entrancing book cover (be it the hardcover or recently released paperback), one might think this an interesting graphic novel involving one Mark Twain, but in fact it is about a relative of the author who is a captain on a riverboat on the Hudson River.

Captain Twain is recounting his story aboard his ship the Lorelei involving a mythological tale of a mermaid that he ends up meeting and secreting away in his cabin for some time – even though he is a married man. At the same time a reclusive author who has something to say about these mythological creatures reveals herself to the world in a shocking fashion. And a French nobleman is seeking a way to turn around a curse he believes is befalling him.

An interesting tale that at times becomes a little too convoluted and perhaps loses the reader, the artwork is nevertheless impressive, and the story has elements of both Twain and Poe, enshrouding it in an interesting mythology during a time over a hundred years ago.

Originally written on April 18, 2014 ©Alex C. Telander.

To purchase a copy of Sailor Twain from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.

GUEST POST: Movies for Bookworms – Five Books Becoming Films in 2014

Many have argued that movies can never be as good as the books that inspired them. This year, however, many new films are being released that just might challenge that statement.

Here is just a small sample of the literary-inspired works slated to arrive in theaters in 2014:

1.) The Fault In Our Stars: Starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, the tragedies of youth are amplified when terminal illness casts a shadow over the lives of its teen victims. The narrator of The Fault In Our Stars, in both the novel and the film, is a 16-year-old girl with stage four thyroid cancer, a disease she has been battling since the age of 13. Her cancer has been contained thanks to an experimental drug, but she hasn’t been to a traditional school since her diagnosis, and she still must wheel an oxygen tank behind her wherever she goes. Her prognosis is murky and her day-to-day life is flat and dull, until she meets a boy in a cancer support group. A cancer movie that “isn’t about cancer,” the author chooses not to focus on the finitude of death  – instead he packs the story with heartbreakingly real examples of life and the emotional tumult of youth.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS MOVIE IS SO CLOSE IT MAKES ME WANT TO CRY

— ❁ (@Everlarkspark) April 28, 2014

2.)   Inherent Vice: Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon and Josh Brolin, Thomas Pynchon’s crime novel embodies the sleazy LA noir genre, following a druggie detective as he weaves his way through the haze of early 70’s California. Doc, the detective, begins his investigation when an old girlfriend arrives and asks him to look into a problem involving a real-estate developer with whom she’s been having an affair. Soon the case begins to unravel, and the developer goes missing. The missing person—or the murder victim—leads Doc down a trail of greed, lust, and conspiracy, in a world distorted by drug use and illusions of danger. In a town full of strange happenings, more often than not the knowledge he acquires only adds up to more confusion. Being both an avid marijuana user, as well as a private eye, makes for an interesting interpretation of the clues, and Doc gives readers and viewers reason to question their own grip on reality.

3.) The Giver: Starring Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep in primary roles. After the massive success of Hunger Games, it seems natural for the first “dystopian” teen novel to make its way to the big screen. Set in a futuristic society where crime, poverty, sickness, and unemployment have been successfully phased out, and only one individual is charged with carrying the weight of the past, one young man learns he is next in line to be the community’s “Receiver of Memories.” In this world, choice is limited, residents are assigned to one another to procreate, and community roles are all predetermined by higher ups. Any trace of individuality has been eliminated. Under the tutelage of “The Giver,” young Jonas learns for the first time about ordinary things like color, sun and snow, as well as the lessons of love, war and death. The book raises many questions, but ultimately leaves the answers up for the viewer to decide for themselves. A quietly popular novel for young adults, The Giver as a film has generated quite a lot of buzz on Twitter, as shown in these excited tweets found with social tracker Viral Heat:

OMG THERE IS FINALLY GOING TO BE THE GIVER MOVIE

Book Report: To Download a Mockingbird, Gravity Gets Served, Conscious Unilliteracy & More!

Social Diversity Media Campaign 
A powerful campaign to help drive diversity in young adult literature.

Coldplay Helping Kids Read 
Coldplay has plans to encourage kids to read by slipping secret notes into library books for their new single.

Amazon Profit Patience Wearing Thin 
Amazon’s profits are not continuing on the project stead rising course and the shareholders have something to say about it.

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